


Hallownest Children’s Asylum

by vindictivewithvendettas



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Body Horror, Gen, Hornet is the responsible adult, Jeremiah is an asshole, Oh boy I have no idea what I’m doing, Suicide in future chapters, all I know is mental asylums and kids are being combined, and it’s on earth, but still, fire him, im gonna try to stick as close to canon as I can, im writing this instead of doing my chores, kind of, leaves his employees in a forest with a bunch of kids with sticks, like the prologue literally mentions florida, more like the ringleader of the kids, so THK and Ghost are non binary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:15:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26668828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vindictivewithvendettas/pseuds/vindictivewithvendettas
Summary: “Those kids are creepy, man.”“Boss, they’re not sane. They need our help.”“They won’t take those masks off, and they’re armed with sticks!”“They don’t use them unless they feel threatened. Don’t come on so strong and you wont get hit.”“... Okay, Mister Counselor. Do it your way. I’m staying over here.”A large group of masked children were found in a forest armed with sticks. The oldest, Patient 003 (though she called herself Hornet) said that they needed a place safe from the “Infection”, so they were taken to the Hallownest Children’s Asylum. They’re not normal mental patients, though... something’s off.When staff start acting strange and being brutally beaten to death by the children, the staff realize that maybe those kids aren’t insane after all.Maybe the Pale King, White Lady, and Shade Lord that they speak of can help them...
Relationships: Hornet & The Knight (Hollow Knight), Original Characters & The Knight & Hornet & The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel & Hornet & The Knight
Comments: 45
Kudos: 164





	1. Prologue: The Vessels

"So, uh... a bunch of kids? ...In a forest?" Maxim asked, half-jogging after Jeremiah, his manager.

"Yeah. Apparently their creepy-ass singing and chanting has made people think that they're survivors of the suicide cult that was here a few years back," Jeremiah said.

"Can you slow down, Boss? Your legs are way longer than mine! And we were supposed to wait for the cops!" Maxim panted.

"The voices sound like kids, Maxim. What'll the cops do with 'em?" Jeremiah shot back.

It was almost three in the morning, and the full moon couldn't shine through the tops of the trees, so the two of them relied on the flashlights they held. Armed with only small pistols and tasers, they wouldn't be able to take on a cult. 

'This is why we were supposed to wait for the cops,' Maxim thought. 'They could take on a cult.'

The eerie singing turned to what sounded like a prayer:

"To our King, regal and bright!  
To our Lord, dark as night!  
To our Queen, with Her branches strong,  
To You, our Gods, we give our song!"

"Shit, they are a cult!" Maxim swore. "What're we doing, goin' in like this?! You're insane, Boss! Absolutely insane!"

"I'm not insane, the creepy-crawlies are," Jeremiah snorted.

"Judy told us not to call them that," Maxim muttered.

"Right, the children are insane," Jeremiah rolled his eyes.

Maxim sighed. 'We work with literal children, and here's Jeremiah callin' them names,' he thought. 'Who had the bright idea of makin' him manager?'

They reached a clearing, where it looked like an entire circle of children were holding hands and praying, the moonlight shining on their... masks?!

"Masks?!" Jeremiah whisper-yelled. Maxim shrugged. People wore masks for all sorts of reasons. If they really were a cult, maybe they wore them for religious reasons.

The kids were finishing their chant:

"We will never forget you, our Gods!  
We shall serve you well!"

They stood for a few moments longer before one of them, the tallest by far and too thin, stiffened in place.

"Hollow, dear Sibling! What is wrong?" The one who physically looked the oldest asked, taking their hand and pressing it to her chest.

"Hollow" lifted a shaking hand to point straight at Maxim and Jeremiah.

'Shit.'

Every last child lifted a branch and held it diagonally in front of their torsos, save for the girl. She pointed her branch at them.

"If you wish to fight, then raise your sword!" She shouted.

"She has a fuckin' stick..." Jeremiah whispered in disbelief. He shifted his eyes to a less disturbed Maxim.

"Alright, Mister Counselor, do your job," he said, gesturing towards the group.

"I hate you so munch right now," Maxim sighed. He placed his hand on the holster for his gun and stepped forward into the clearing.

Hollow immediately got into what seemed to be a battle stance, pointing their branch at him. Maxim raised his hands, backing away a step. The people in front of him may just be kids, but they were still armed.

Before either of them could make a move, however, the girl sprinted forward, latching onto Maxim like a leech and tacking him to the ground and leaning forward to look at his face. Maxim yelped and fumbled for his taser, but she leaped away before he could use it.

"He is free of Infection. I could find no trace of orange in his eyes, Hollow," the girl said, holding her sibling's hand again. Hollow visibly relaxed. All of the other kids let out a sigh of relief as well.

'Infection?' To say Maxim was confused would be an understatement. Were these kids from a place where people were sick?

"W-what's Infection?" He managed to ask through the anxiety still coursing through his veins from the tackle.

The girl waved a hand dismissively. "The Infection! You know, the Great Dying! The loss of one's mind!"

When Maxim remained quiet, the girl gave him an incredulous look, which was quite the feat given the featureless mask. "You do not know of the Infection?"

One of the kids piped up, "Do you live under a rock or something? Everyone knows about the Infection!"

Maxim was really concerned now. Either this was some sort of shared delusion, which were creepy enough as it was, or they had encountered some sort of mind-eating disease or parasite. Like that one in Florida.

Maxim decided it would be best to collect the kids first and ask questions later. "You kids need a place to stay?" he asked, going into what Jeremiah liked to call "Business Mode".

"Where will you be taking us?" the girl asked suspiciously.

"Hallownest Children's Asylum. Safe place for kids like you," Maxim replied, praying they wouldn't refuse. There were too many of them to subdue.

"Hallownest Children's Asylum..." the girl mused. She turned to the others. "What do you think?"

They all starting chattering in a strange language. At first Maxim thought it was one of those stupid fake languages that kids tend to make up, but it was obvious after some listening that that assumption wasn't true. It was a full language, whatever it was.

After a few minutes, the girl turned back to him. "We will come with you, but we want an assurance that we will not be harmed," she sternly told him.

Normally, Maxim would find that stern tone funny—he was the adult, after all—but this kid looked like she could shish-kebab him with her branch. She was a scary, scary, child.

"I swear by your Gods that you won't be harmed," he said, playing their game.

The girl nodded solemnly. "Then take us home," she commanded.

Maxim sighed when he turned around and saw his boss gone. It was gonna be a long night.


	2. Definition of Infection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for minor description of body horror.

Maxim pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. There were thirty-six kids, and all of them had described the exact same backstory, parents, and gods. This wasn’t shared psychotic disorder; the delusion (if it even was a delusion) didn’t start with one and was shared through influence. All of these kids had the exact same beliefs. They wouldn’t take their masks off, either.

The closest thing the kids had to a ringleader was the girl, Hornet. There were no written records of any girl matching her appearance and blood type named Hornet, but there was one that looked exactly like her named Beatrice Golding. The blood type matched, too.

Her name was written down as Beatrice Golding, despite her many protests. To placate her, the staff called her Hornet.

What concerned Maxim the most wasn’t the delusions, though. It was their bodies. Hornet and the smallest, who went by Ghost (their real name was Peter Boltrine), were the only ones fully intact.

Hollow (whose real name was Zachary Boltrine) has a missing arm, the shattered end of the bone exposed. Their face had a noticeable scar that, when further investigated, was imprinted into their skull as well. Their other sibling, Lost (whose real name was Merlin Boltrine) had some of their skull exposed with odd bone growths protruding from their head in multiple places. 

Really, it was a wonder that these kids were alive.

Maxim needed to look more closely into the personalities and behaviors of these kids. One in particular was a bit of an enigma. 

Iku Umeda, a twelve-year-old girl who was of Japanese descent (but denied it vehemently), would switch between personalities often. It wasn’t just a simple case of being more sociable among the other kids, though. No matter who she was around, she would all of a sudden change in all ways but physical.

Documented personalities were Iku herself, Gertrude (fifty-three, constantly complaining about being physically a child), Shadow (Claimed to be a Shade, whatever that was, and was supposedly immortal), and Cassidy (twenty-three, extremely hostile and violent). Cassidy was a danger to herself and others, and had to be restrained the moment she came out. Each switch in personality was preceded by sever panic attacks and hysterical crying, during which her “siblings” would try to comfort her, but to no avail.

Another kid, Violetta, had Aspergers and social anxiety, and would constantly have anxiety attacks over not understanding social cues. When asked why she didn’t ask what the cue meant, she burst into tears. She was immediately put on anxiety medication.

Right now, the kids were all praying together. Praying was the only activity where all of them seemed at peace. They spoke in unison, not a single slip-up. They were either well-practiced or...

They were probably just well-practiced.

Leaning back in his chair and gazing longingly at the now-empty bottle of Advil on his desk, Maxim continued to add to the already-extensive files on the kids.

***

“You need to know what the Infection is.”

Maxim and Hornet were sitting in his office together. Hornet herself had actually requested to meet him, and Maxim supposed it was for this very topic.

He leaned forward in his chair, laptop at the ready in lieu of a notebook. “Tell me, then. What is the Infection?”

Hornet took a deep breath.

“The Infection is the work of a vengeful Goddess of Old Light. Our Father shone whiter and brighter than She, and our people soon began to forget Her to worship our Father. In rage, She began to break into the minds of mortals, destroying their minds and taking over their bodies. No one is safe from Her wrath. Not even you, Counselor.”

“I see,” Maxim said, furiously typing down this new information. “What are the symptoms of this affliction? Is it contagious?”

“It is not contagious save for ingesting it. As for the symptoms... sometimes it is hard to tell. The first stage is just them walking strangely, as if they no longer know how to use their body. During the second stage, they stop talking, and a sickly-sweet smell starts coming from them. It burns your nose, that smell.

“The third stage... their eyes start to glow. The color is always orange. Never another. If they bleed, blood doesn’t come out. Infection does, in the form of a sticky orange liquid. They also become aggressive if they think you’re onto them. During the fourth stage, they simply collapse and die from all of the rage and Light that’s been funneled into them.”

Hornet sounded a bit choked up at the end of that explanation. Maxim reached out a hand to comfort her, but she leaned away.

“I apologize for losing my composure like that,” she sniffled. “A friend of mine, a lovely young lady named Myla, she met that fate. I knew I had to kill her to end her suffering, but I just... couldn’t.”

“So death is the only way to escape the Infection once you’re afflicted?” Maxim asked. Hornet nodded, lifting her mask a bit to blow her nose. He was a bit disappointed to find that she had not lifted it enough for him to see her eyes.

“I... I wish to return to my chambers,” Hornet said.

Maxim closed his laptop. “Then we’re done for today.”


	3. Chapter Three: Parents

"Tell me about your parents."

Maxim was once again having a one-on-one session with one of the "Vessels", as they called themselves. This one was Peter Boltrine, or Ghost. So far, they seemed to be selectively mute. Luckily, Maxim knew ASL.

Ghost let out a silent sigh. They didn't even exhale. 'So weird...' Maxim thought. 'But the kid's obviously traumatized. Who am I to judge?'

Ghost began to sign.

"Mom is... big. Like tree. Can't see, but can hear alright. Very nice voice. Like music. Pale, hair is white. Eyes blue like sky. Queen."

They signed in broken sentences, but got their point across.

"Dad is small. Spiky head, looks like crown. White as bones. King."

"I see." Maxim wrote down the kid's words. "What about their personalities? What are they like?"

"Mom is kind. Gentle. Touch is soft. Hugs a lot. Loves us a lot. Dad is... harsh. Loves us too, but is tough on us. Taught us how to fight. To survive. Both very strong." Ghost seemed pleased to be talking about their family.

"And what about the Lord you and your siblings talk about? Who is he?" Maxim asked. He needed answers.

"Shade Lord. Dark as night. Big. Glowing eyes. Eight of them. God of Gods. Powerful. Like second father to us." Ghost tilted their head. "Why want to know? Wish to pray? To worship?"

"I'm curious," Maxim replied. "You talk about these gods so much. I wanted to know who they were. This Shade Lord sounds like he's really strong."

"Shade Lord is strong!" Ghost signed, nodding. "Shade Lord is God of Gods! Above us all! Brought about world! In every shadow!"

Maxim's eyes widened. "He's everywhere?" Ghost nodded again. "Everywhere! In here! Out there! Watchful eyes, protects us!"

"So he's more of a guardian than a stalker?" Maxim asked. It was the wrong thing to say, though, as Ghost shot to their feet, hands balled into fists.

"How dare!? How dare you speak of our Lord like he is common criminal?! He is perfect! He is savior!" Ghost was hyperventilating now, and Maxim knew he had to deescalate the situation somehow...

"I'm sorry, Ghost! I don't know much about the Shade Lord, and I was just trying to figure it out!" He held up his hands in an attempt to placate the kid.

"Hope our Lord shuns you in your time of need!" Ghost signed with jerky movement before picking up their branch and storming out of Maxim's office.

Closing his laptop, Maxim sighed. He felt as if he had just made an enemy.

***

"The hell is up with those kids?!" Jeremiah huffed, coffee in hand.

"They seem to all believe in the same gods, and have the same backstory. It's no group delusion, though." Maxim reseed his forehead in his palm. "I can't make heads or tails of it."

"Damn. Sounds like those creepy-crawlies are one hell of an enigma," Jeremiah sipped from his travel mug.

"Hey." A hand thumped on the table right next to Jeremiah, who jumped.

"Hey, Judy," Maxim sighed.

"Stop referring to the children as 'creepy-crawlies'! It's not their fault they're like that!" Judy snapped. Judy was a nurse at the asylum, and loved spending time with the kids, playing games with them and reading to them.

"They're creepy, and they crawl. It's a fitting name," Jeremiah shrugged.

"I'll report you!" Judy threatened. Maxim decided it would be best to change the subject.

"So, Judy. Have you spent any time with these kids?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Not yet, no... today's my first day working with them, actually," Judy replied, seemingly happy to talk about something other than Jeremiah's disrespect.

"I feel like I should warn you about a few things, then," Maxim said. "Don't day anything rude about the Shade Lord, Pale King, or White Lady, if Iku starts having a panic attack, she's about to change personalities, and if it's Cassidy, restrain her, and if they think you're 'infected', you should probably work on another floor, because according to them, the only way to be free from the 'Infection' is to kill you."

Judy didn't seem too bothered. She had probably seen worse. "I'll keep that in mind, Counselor."

***

Maxim decided to keep an eye on Judy and the kids. He had finished all the paperwork he was doing, anyways. He stayed in the room with them, making sure nothing weird was going on.

The kids took to Judy like ducks to water. "A butterfly!" Hornet cried. "How beautiful!" Violetta whispered to Lost.

A third child, Sarah (who went by Nada), patted Judy's hair. "So fluffy," she mumbled, not one for words.

"Thank you," Judy replied warmly.

'I guess butterflies are held in high esteem or something,' Maxim thought. 'Still, Judy needs to be careful. Some of those kids are pretty unpredictable...'

Hollow tilted their head, staring at Judy’s eyes. They said something in that strange language they always used, and Ghost nodded. “Butterfly can be poisonous,” they signed. “Do not trust right away.”

Violetta huffed. “Such a pessimist,” she muttered.

“No, they’re right,” Hornet said. “Butterflies may be beautiful, but they can also be highly poisonous. We must tread carefully.”

“It’s not like we’re gonna eat her!” Iku shot back.

“Poison comes in many forms,” Nada whispered.

Judy frowned. It seemed that she couldn’t think of a way to calm the kids down.

Maxim interrupted, “Judy’s been working with kids for almost fifteen years. None have ever had a problem with her before. She’s perfectly safe, don’t worry.”

“Shut your mouth, heathen!” Ghost angrily signed back.

“Ghost!” Judy gasped. “That was rude!”

“Nonbeliever! Insulted our Lord!” Ghost retorted. Some of the kids turned betrayed glares to Maxim. He gulped, nervous. He had definitely made an enemy in the form of a small, masked child.

Before anyone could react, however, Lost wheezed in pain.


	4. Chapter 3: Lost Kin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lack of uploads... I lost the motivation for this one for a bit. This chapter is short, but Maxim gets an unpleasant awakening here.

"Lost?" Hornet asked. "Are you alright?"

The kid just wheezed and jerkily moved their hand to give her a thumbs-up.

Hollow shrieked something in the strange language that they all spoke—Hallownestian, Hornet called it.

Ghost grabbed their stick and tried to charge at Lost, but Hollow and Hornet managed to grab their arms and hold them back. "We don't know for sure!" Hornet cried.

Lost looked at their siblings, and Maxim saw... something... in their eyes. A spark of something... orange...?

He blinked, but the glint remained.

" _The third stage... their eyes start to glow. The color is always orange. Never another_." Hornet's words came back to Maxim. He realized that the glow was growing bigger and brighter, and he looked to Judy to see if she noticed it as well. The frightened look in her eyes confirmed his suspicions: these kids were not mentally ill. They knew of a threat that was very, very real.

A sudden thought came to Maxim: perhaps these children were messengers of a sort? The data that the asylum had on their identities may very well have been faked. The kids might have been sent by their gods to warn people of the Infection...

But right now, there was a child that had that glow in their eyes. And Ghost had just lunged to attack them.

_Death is the only escape_... Maxim remembered.

Lost stiffly stood. They really did seem like they couldn't remember how to move properly—

And then the smell hit Maxim's nose.

Sickly sweet, and it burned when he inhaled it.

Hornet was right.

Lost reached out with a hand. Violetta made the mistake of returning the gesture.

She screamed as Lost latched onto her arm and head butted her. Hard. One of the bone growths protruding from their head punctured her chest, and Ghost broke free from their siblings and struck Lost in the head with their stick.

Both Violetta and Lost collapsed, dead. Black and orange liquid pooled around them, and the former beaded on top of the latter like oil on water.

Ghost dropped their stick and looked back at Maxim. They took of their mask, revealing a pale, round face and pitch-black eyes welling with inky tears of regret.

"Was only way," they signed. "No one deserve live like that."

Maxim distantly heard Judy burst into tears.


End file.
